Trustees Week 2024: Our team members making a difference beyond their roles

Today we are shining a light on three of our dedicated Villiers Park colleagues who also serve as trustees. Their unique perspectives as both team members and board leaders bring valuable insights that help us make a bigger difference together.

Maria Healy, Head of Fundraising and Partnerships at Villiers Park

Trustee at Cambridge Student Community Action

"When I was at university, I really enjoyed volunteering at local schools in Cardiff through my department, where we created activities for students to feel more connected to their community. It brought a sense of purpose to my learning and helped me to connect more deeply to the university's widening participation aims. When the opportunity came up at Cambridge SCA, I jumped at the chance to help guide the strategy for an organisation which also enables students to help young people in their local area.

Being a trustee helps me to understand how I can bring about good governance in my own role, and ensure our work strives towards the charity's overall mission. It also enables me to bring more creative ideas to our fundraising objectives, by seeing how other organisations are successful in their campaigns.

Becoming a Trustee means that you can make a great difference to causes that you care about. By donating your time and expertise, you can use the skills you use in your career to help drive charities towards their own aims. You will find that there are trustee positions which are often skills-specific, so you will likely find a role where your own strengths will be valued."

Jess Bond, Director of Programmes at Villiers Park

Trustee at the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts 

"I have been a volunteer with Girlguiding, the UK's largest charity dedicated to girls and young women, for almost twenty years as I wanted to give something back to the charity that helped me so much when I was younger. I am now a trustee for the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, the global guiding association, which has 10.8 million members. In this role, I bring my skills in governance, leadership and strategy to a new context, as well as supporting our members in 153 different countries and territories.

Being a trustee really helps my role at Villiers Park where I am responsible for reporting to the trustees on a range of areas, like programmes and safeguarding. I also have a good understanding of the wider charity sector in the UK and know what is expected of our trustees at Villiers Park and can ensure they have the infomration they need to carry out their roles effectively. There are many occasions where I have shared learning from my trustee role with Villiers Park and vice versa.

Being a trustee is really rewarding as you have the opportunity to play a part in supporting the mission of your charity, and making a positive difference for a cause you care about.  It's a way to build transferable skills, to meet like-minded people and help to ensure the long-term future of your charity and maximise the impact of its work."

Gaby Sumner, Chief Executive at Villiers Park 

Trustee at Synergy Theatre Project and Cambridge Junction